slather

1 of 2

noun

slath·​er ˈsla-t͟hər 

: a great quantity

—often used in plural

slather

2 of 2

verb

slathered; slathering ˈsla-t͟hə-riŋ 

ˈslat͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1

: to use or spend in a wasteful or lavish manner : squander

2

a

: to spread thickly or lavishly

slathered sunscreen on her skin

b

: to spread something thickly or lavishly on

slathered her skin with sunscreen

Examples of slather in a Sentence

Verb

We ate lobster slathered with butter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The slather of cookie-crumbly frosting helps mask it, to a point. —Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Feb. 2026

And if any of you barbarians out there slather ranch dressing on your wings, there’s a special place in hell just for you. —Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026

Verb

Perfect for pairing with a trip through their enormous salad bar and a scoop of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach (and timberline chili and mac and cheese), and one of their famous yeasty dinner rolls slathered with honey butter. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026

There’s nary a crease to be seen in Bina Daigeler’s costumes, all covetable, unapproachable and tailored to the gods; Matthew Herbert’s score may be among the lushest ever slathered over such horrible goings-on. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1843, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for slather

• gather
• lather
• rather